Blood Relatives
by Edie Zee
Summary: What if Stefan wasn't the only "family" that Damon had?
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Blood Relatives 1/12  
**Author: **EdieZee  
**Rating: **PG-13, possibly R later  
**Based on:** TV series  
**Relationships:** Damon/Elena  
**Disclaimers:** I do not own anything. Sadly...  
**Summary: **What if Stefan wasn't the only "family" that Damon had?

**Note 1: **Even though I was quite happy to see them get together at the end of the last episode, I was actually hoping that he would make her work for it a little more. So in my story, I will make that happen.

**Note 2: **I will completely ignore the implication that Elena is sired because that's a bunch of BS that cheapens the relationship they've been building since day one. On the other hand, it did finally inspire me to start writing this story, so maybe it's not all bad…

**Note 3**: This story was inspired by two different conversations. The first one was in season one where Stefan asks Damon where he will go when he leaves, and he says "London, maybe; see some friends." Stefan says he doesn't have any friends, and Damon sarcastically responds, "You're right, Stefan, I only have you." The other conversation was when Alaric was dying and he told Elena that taking care of her and Jeremy "has been the closest I've ever come to the life I've always wanted."

* * *

Damon opened the door, and a rush of almost-fear flowed through him when he saw Elena standing there. He was painfully aware of Stefan behind him, and the awkward tension in the room multiplied exponentially.

The meaningful glances that he had shared with Elena for the entire duration of the Miss Mystic Falls pageant had been…exhilarating, to say the least. But they had also filled him with a twinge of guilt that he didn't want to admit to feeling. Hearing her say that she and Stefan had broken up because of him was something he had hoped for but never expected to hear. Now that it was actually said – that it was actually real – he didn't know how to react. He may have hated Stefan for…well, since he died, but now he couldn't help but hate the fact that a woman was once again going to come between them.

It hurt to see Stefan hurt.

As if through a fog, Damon vaguely heard Stefan say something about crashing somewhere else for the night. He closed the door behind him and went through the motions of getting Elena a drink. He didn't really come fully back to his senses until she was in his arms and they were dancing in front of the fire. His body tingled wherever it came into contact with hers, and he knew it was only a matter of time until they were kissing. His stomach twisted in anticipation of that moment, and he quickly moistened his lips with his tongue.

And at that moment, his mind flashed back to the sight of Elena and Stefan arguing at the pageant. Seeing the anger and tension between them should have made him happy, since it only served to reinforce the idea that they were no longer together. But he knew better than anyone that you couldn't be that angry with someone unless you loved them.

Elena loved Stefan.

Sure, she may have finally admitted to having feelings for him too, but a part of Damon was still waiting for her to change her mind again, to say that it would "always be Stefan." It was likely only a matter of time until that happened, and Damon didn't know if he would be able to handle hearing that again.

And he certainly wouldn't be able to handle it if it came after … whatever this dance might lead to.

Elena was looking at him with hungry, expectant eyes. Damon stepped back from her, dragging his hands away from her body. It was the hardest thing he had ever had to do. Her eyes were now confused, questioning, a little hurt.

Damon cleared his throat and avoided her eyes. Swallowing heavily, he somehow found the spark of honor that Stefan was so absolutely sure Damon didn't possess. He couldn't believe the words that were about to come out of his mouth, but he knew that he had to say them: for Elena, so she didn't have to feel guilty about eventually breaking his heart when she went back to Stefan; for Stefan, so he didn't have to watch Damon with the woman he loved; and of course, for himself, so that he didn't have to go through the heartache of once again being the second choice.

"I'm sorry, Elena, I can't do this."

"I…I don't understand."

"Believe me when I say, I don't understand it either. I never knew I had it in me to take the high road," Damon let out a soft chuckle, disgusted with himself that, after an eternity of giving in to his every impulse, this was the one that he was able to resist. "But I can't do this."

Elena stepped back, shaking her head as she tried to come to terms with what he was saying. "But…but…I thought you loved me."

Damon grimaced. "I do. I always will."

Elena stared at him in shock, and Damon felt like he was being scrutinized under a microscope. With the help of many years of practice, he schooled his expression to not give anything away.

"_Liar!"_

Damon's head moved backward sharply as if he had been slapped. If this was the response he got for trying to be honorable, that proved that his usual selfish behavior was worth it.

"I'm not lying…"

"You've never _loved_ me. You've just been playing games with me. With Stefan."

Damon scoffed, before walking over to get himself a drink. His heart shattered at her words, and a part of him wanted to rush over to her and show her just how wrong she was. But he knew his heart would hurt a lot more if he gave in now, only to be tossed aside again later. Maybe it was even better this way; if she hated him, she would no longer tempt him into taking what she was offering.

"Believe what you want," he said softly, taking his glass with him as he left the room.

* * *

Damon avoided Stefan and Elena for the next couple of days, even though Stefan tried on more than one occasion to find out what had happened. Damon just counted his blessings that Elena hadn't gone running back to Stefan immediately. He was sure that it would happen sooner or later, but as far as he was concerned, the later the better. He wanted time to deal with the fact that he had thrown away his chance at being with her before having to deal with seeing them together again.

Drowning his sorrows with alcohol at the Grill, Damon once again tossed around the idea of leaving town. For good, this time. It would be the perfect time: Elena was a vampire now and no longer needed constant protection; he and Stefan may not be the Brady Bunch, but their shaky brotherly relationship hadn't been completely destroyed yet; Alaric was gone…

And yet…he still couldn't bring himself to leave. As messed up as it was, this was the closest he had come to having a real family in a long time.

Not since…

He quickly took another drink in an effort to push out those thoughts. Now was not the time to think about the last time he had felt loved and needed and _wanted_.

Damon was aware of Elena the second she walked into the Grill, but fortunately she had been avoiding him just as much as he had been avoiding her. He knew that she knew he was there, but she sat at a table with Bonnie and studiously ignored him. He could use his vampire hearing to listen to their conversation, but he didn't know if it was a conversation he wanted to hear.

He played with the glass in his hand, resisting the urge to throw it across the room.

* * *

Elena wondered if Bonnie could tell that she wasn't paying complete attention to their conversation. She went through the motions, responding when it was her turn to respond, but a part of her was focused completely on the leather-clad back hunched over the bar. A maelstrom of emotions swirled inside of her. She was so angry with him she could barely think about anything else. She wanted to believe that she was right and that he had just been playing games. She also wanted to believe that she was wrong and that he really did love her. She was just so confused about what had happened.

But most of all, she still felt the love that had caused all this to happen in the first place. She wanted to be near him so badly it hurt, but she also couldn't bear the thought of him rejecting her again.

And a part of her felt guilty when she realized that that was how she had made him feel for so long, every time she had rejected him.

Bonnie cleared her throat, and Elena jumped in her seat, a blush of embarrassment rushing to her cheeks. She had apparently become too engrossed with her thoughts of Damon to pretend that she was still listening to Bonnie.

"Why don't you go talk to him?"

Elena shook her head and took a sip of her soda. Bonnie gave her a pointed look, sighed, and resumed complaining about the work that Caroline was making her do for the upcoming decade dance. "You'd think that she would realize we have more important things to worry about than a stupid dance!" Bonnie grumbled.

Elena smiled slightly. "I would have agreed with you before I…you know. But now I think that maybe Caroline has the right idea about that kind of thing. We have to keep doing things like that, or really, what's the point?"

Bonnie shrugged. "I guess you're right. But if I have to have one more conversation about what kind of streamers to get, I cannot be held responsible for my actions."

Elena started to laugh, but it died on her lips when she noticed something unusual. Her attention was drawn to a beautiful young woman standing in the entryway of the Grill. The woman was staring toward the bar – more specifically at Damon – with an unreadable expression on her face. A spark of jealousy shot through Elena as she watched the woman start walking purposely toward Damon. Elena clenched her hands tightly as the woman stepped up next to him and touched his shoulder.

And her heart broke as she saw Damon turn toward the woman with an expression that was part shock, part joy. With her vampire hearing, she heard Damon say a name. Gretchen. The two of them embraced, but Elena didn't see what happened after that because she had rushed out of the room without a single word of explanation to Bonnie.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Blood Relatives 2/12  
**Author: **EdieZee  
**Rating: **PG-13 ish  
**Based on:** TV series  
**Relationships:** Damon/Elena  
**Disclaimers:** I do not own anything. Sadly...  
**Summary: **What if Stefan wasn't the only "family" that Damon had?

**Note: ** Damon will seem a little out of character for much of this story. It is AU and is set partly in the past, so I figure maybe back then Damon hadn't yet become quite as bitter as he was when we first met him. I've always thought that there was a little bit of sentimentality and longing for a human connection simmering below the surface, so hopefully you'll agree that it's not THAT out of character… (It is his "existential crisis," after all.)

* * *

_London 1966_

The latest Rolling Stones song played throughout the darkened bar as Damon moved sinuously among the groups of young people. He took a sip of his drink, half-heartedly listening to the conversations going on around him.

Damon had only been in London for a couple weeks, but he had already wholly embraced the Swinging England lifestyle as if he had been born for it instead of for the prim and proper mannerisms of his own youth. The music, the dancing…the mini-skirts. After two World Wars and a Depression – not to mention the troubles he had faced with Stefan – it was nice to finally be able to enjoy life for a little while.

Knocking back the rest of his drink, he placed the empty glass on a passing waitress' tray. Moving out to the dance floor, he let the music wash over him. He closed his eyes and let his body take over. He pushed thoughts of Stefan out of his mind and lost himself in the energy of the room. Bodies moved next to him, and he could practically taste the young blood that was pulsing all around him.

It was…_groovy_.

The song ended, and Damon opened his eyes again. One of the bodies he had danced next to morphed into a young woman. Strands of her straight brunette hair were no longer contained by her blue headband, thanks to the vigor with which she had danced. She was breathing hard, and her eyes were sparkling. Damon was mesmerized, which was odd since, objectively, she wasn't a great beauty. Sure, she was pretty enough…but she was no Katherine.

Damon clenched his teeth, pushing thoughts of Katherine out of his head. He still had a long time to wait, and it's not like this girl would be the first one he had passed the time with while waiting.

He flashed the girl his most charming grin, hiding the smirk that wanted to blossom in response to the blush she favored him with. Despite the mini-skirt, it was clear that she was not the typical brazen and liberated girl that this fascinating new culture had given birth to.

"Damon," he shouted over the din of the music and the crowd, sticking a hand out to shake hers.

She offered him a small smile and stuck her own hand out. "Sophie."

"Would you like to dance some more?"

She smiled and nodded. Damon grinned again, starting to move his body in time to the rhythm. This time, he did not close his eyes. Instead, he watched Sophie, enthralled by the almost innocent enthusiasm she had for the music and the movement. She wasn't a great dancer; in fact, she seemed entirely out of place. However, she danced with zeal, giving off the impression that she had to fit a lifetime's worth of enjoyment into this one evening.

It would almost be a shame to kill her. Maybe he wouldn't. Maybe he'd drink _just enough_.

* * *

After they danced a few more songs together, they grabbed drinks and sat down to talk. He was utterly surprised to find that he had actually enjoyed the conversation. She was smart and a little sarcastic, and he didn't even have to pretend being interested in her.

"Why do I get the feeling you don't come here very often?" Damon asked.

Sophie chuckled. "Because I don't. This isn't who I really am most of the time. I was able to get a free night, so I thought I'd pretend for a little while."

Damon half-smiled, thinking about the fact that his whole existence was basically pretense.

"So, who are you most of the time?"

"I work in a book store, actually – Shakespeare and Company."

Damon leaned back, pointedly taking in her outfit from head to toe. "You don't look like a book worm to me."

Sophie smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"What's your favorite book?"

"_Gone with the Wind_."

"Never read it. I like the film though."

"I'll have to sell you a copy of it sometime," she joked.

They continued talking about literature, about movies, about music. Damon felt slightly odd that he was having this conversation. There was no sarcasm or double meanings. It seemed so…_normal_. He may be pretending that he was human, but he didn't have to pretend about anything else.

Before he knew it, it was time for the bar to close. It reminded him that she was his victim, that he was supposed to be luring her off to drink from her. That thought filled him with a bit of regret that he didn't want to examine too closely. He was a vampire; he wasn't supposed to feel regret. Sage had taught him that...

"Well, Sophie, can I walk you home? It's late and dark out there, after all," Damon smirked, amused about the fact that he was the danger he was warning her about.

They stepped out into the cool evening. Damon took in a long breath, enjoying the crisp, clear air after being in an enclosed place with sweating people. Sometimes, being a vampire with super sensitive senses had its disadvantages…

Damon couldn't help but wonder if this is what his life would have been like if he had never met Katherine. Would he have met some nice, shy girl like Sophie and wooed her in an innocent way? Would she have provided him an escape from the disappointment of his father and the rivalry with his brother? Would he have been able to have a family, grow old, die in his bed having never known the taste of blood or the guilt of murder?

Was that even a life that he would have wanted? He would have never known the passionate love he felt – feels. _Feels. – _for Katherine. He wouldn't have seen the amazing inventions and advancements humanity had made. He wouldn't have stayed young and healthy forever.

On the other hand, he wouldn't have had to deal with the fact that Stefan had become a ravenous monster – or with the fact that Katherine had loved Stefan enough to turn him too…

Despite his anger at Stefan for forcing him to turn, Damon had begun to accept who he was. He wouldn't change that for anything. But, every once in a while – like now, with Sophie – he couldn't help but miss the life he never had the chance to have.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he missed out on several opportunities to drink from Sophie. They passed dark, empty alleys and quiet storefronts, and Damon didn't take advantage of any of them. Instead they made it all the way to a residential area, and Sophie turned to climb up a short flight of steps. She dug through her purse and pulled out a set of keys.

Damon suppressed a smile, glad that Sophie had her back to him. He found it amusing that she was so clearly nervous, and he didn't want that amusement to make her feel even more awkward. Her hand was shaking as she unlocked the door to her building, and it was quite obvious that inviting strangers back to her place was not something she usually did. It was sort of refreshing actually, after the women he had met while partying since arriving in London.

Sophie finally got the door open, and they climbed the stairs to a second door. She opened that door too. Turning around to face him, she couldn't even meet his eyes.

"Please come-"

As soon as the invitation took effect, Damon stepped forward and pulled her into a kiss. He walked her into the darkened flat and slammed the door shut behind them. He didn't want to give her the chance to talk herself out of this, and he really didn't want to have to compel her either. A small part of him couldn't help but think that, if someone sweet and shy and good like Sophie chose to be with him all on her own, then maybe…maybe there was something still good about him too.

Not that he would ever admit to wanting that.

She let out a soft moan, and he could hear her heartbeat start to pick up. As the kiss deepened, Damon actually felt conflicted. He wanted to be with her, but he didn't want to hurt her. He didn't want to drink from her.

He…_liked_ her.

But how could he feel that way? He loved Katherine; he shouldn't be _liking_ anyone. Having sex, drinking blood, all the things that Sage had taught him about enjoying the vampire lifestyle…those were all OK as long as they didn't _mean_ anything…

If he chose to _not _drink Sophie's blood, then this would mean something.

He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't betray Katherine like that. Not for a girl he had just met that night…

Damon forced his teeth to extend, fighting to ignore the nausea in his stomach. He took a deep breath, and lowered his mouth down to her neck.

And someone knocked on the door.

Springing back from Sophie, Damon turned away from her, forcing his face to return to normal. A surge of relief went through him. He would be eternally grateful for whoever was at the door for stopping him. It was time to get out of here before things got even more confusing.

Sophie opened the door and a small blur rocketed toward her, wrapping its arms tightly around her waist. "Mommy!"

Damon raised his eyebrow in shock at this new development. An older woman stood in the doorway, looking back and forth between Damon and Sophie; a knowing, amused smile rose to her lips.

"I am _so _sorry, Sophie," she said, glancing over at Damon again. "She had a nightmare, and I told her we could see if you were home. I know I offered to keep her the whole night, but…"

"Oh, that's okay," Sophie crooned softly, running a hand through the young girl's hair. "Are you alright, baby?"

The girl nodded against her mother's stomach but didn't say anything. Damon couldn't take his eyes off of her, the horrible thought going through his head that he could have left this little girl without a mother tonight.

How many children had he left motherless in his life?

Sophie looked over at him, and he could tell that she was feeling very uncomfortable. "Uh, Damon, this is my daughter. Gretchen."

* * *

**Note: **I have never been to London, certainly not in the 1960s. If I've made any mistakes, let me know and I'll fix them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Blood Relatives 3/12  
**Author: **EdieZee  
**Rating: **PG-13 ish  
**Based on:** TV series  
**Relationships:** Damon/Elena  
**Disclaimers:** I do not own anything. Sadly...  
**Summary: **What if Stefan wasn't the only "family" that Damon had?

Damon stood on the street, staring up at the sign for Shakespeare and Company. A week had passed since the night he met Sophie, and he hadn't seen her since he made his excuses and escaped after Gretchen had come in.

But he couldn't stop thinking about her.

Or rather, about _them_.

He had walked down this street probably a dozen times this week, but this was the first time he had gotten so close to the entrance. He didn't know why he felt this way. He shouldn't be thinking about another woman like this. Other women were just supposed to be ways to pass time until Katherine could be rescued. They weren't supposed to get under his skin after one night of just talking and a little bit of kissing.

Would being with Sophie be a betrayal to Katherine? Maybe.

But he couldn't stop himself any longer.

Damon took a deep breath and walked into the book store. A sense of homecoming fell over him. Getting lost in the worlds that books created had been something both he and their mother had enjoyed, but his father frowned upon men spending too much reading. He hadn't read much since she died. He wandered to the classics section, smiling when he saw that many of those "classics" had been new and exciting novels that his mother had introduced to him. He pulled book after book after the shelves, memories surfacing with each one. Soon he had an armful, and he figured they would last him for a while. Smirking, he grabbed one more – _Gone with the Wind – _before heading towards the counter.

He hesitated when he saw that it was Sophie, even though he had also been hoping it would be her. When she saw him, she visibly started, stumbling over the words she was saying to the customer at the counter.

The customer left, and Damon sidled up to stand in front of her. He smiled at her with a twinkle in his eye when he put all the books down on the counter. She burst out laughing when she saw _Gone with the Wind_ on the top of the pile.

"I heard it was good," Damon said.

Sophie finally raised her eyes to meet his gaze. "So…"

"So," Damon said. "When do you get off work?"

* * *

Damon couldn't help but smile as he watched Gretchen run around the statue of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. Her giggle was infectious, as was the deeper, fuller laughter that was coming out of Sophie as she watched her daughter play.

Sophie and Damon were sitting on a nearby bench, the remains of a picnic next to them. They had spent almost every day of the last two weeks together, and the doubts about whether he should be enjoying their company were no longer plaguing him as much as they used to. He knew he should feel guilty about _that_, but he was too content to feel guilty.

Sophie scooted closer to him, and he put his arm around her shoulder. He turned his head to breathe in the scent of her shampoo and planted a kiss against her temple. An elderly couple strolled past them, and Damon met the woman's eyes. She smiled fondly at them, and Damon felt a twinge of … _something _when he realized that she assumed they were a family.

"Damon! Damon!" Gretchen shouted as she ran up to them. "Will you play with me?"

Damon mock-growled at the girl and pulled himself off of the bench. He reached out to grab and tickle her, and she shrieked, running away from him. Damon glanced back at Sophie, and they shared a smile. Damon turned his attention back to the little girl and chased her around. He held back both his vampire speed and his regular speed just enough where he almost caught her several times, but he still allowed her to pull out of his grasp every time.

He couldn't tell who was having more fun: Gretchen or himself.

As they played, Damon thought back to one of the first conversations that he and Sophie had at the start of their relationship. She had explained to him how her husband had died in a car accident six months after Gretchen had been born. It had been just the two of them ever since, and Sophie was worried about bringing a man into her daughter's life.

Damon – as if it was somebody else speaking through him – had promised without hesitation that he was in it for the long haul.

And he surprised even himself when he realized he was telling the truth.

He tried to rationalize it by saying Sophie would be elderly by the time Katherine could be rescued. By that point, he would either have had to tell Sophie the truth about what he was or fake his own death to maintain his secret. If he faked his own death, he wouldn't have to break up with her, so in effect, he would be keeping his promise. And if he told her the truth, chances are she would run screaming from him, so he wouldn't be the one abandoning her.

He tried to rationalize it by telling himself that this was…just a break. Just another, different way to pass the time until Katherine could be returned to him. It was something new to break the monotony of the decades he had been alive. If he got tired of it, he would leave. He would abandon them, despite his promise, and go back to being the vicious monster that he was.

But no matter how he tried to rationalize it, he knew deep down that he said it because he meant it.

And he didn't want to think about what _that_ meant.

* * *

"Mommy! Mommy!" Gretchen's terrified cry pierced the night, and Damon sat up straight in bed with a gasp. Sophie rolled over with a groan, pushing herself up and rubbing at her eyes. Damon leaned over and kissed her.

"Go back to sleep. I'll go to her."

Sophie sighed and fell back onto the bed. Damon grinned, knowing that part of the reason she was so tired was due to the rather vigorous sex they had after Gretchen had gone to bed. They'd been together for six months now, and Damon was spending more nights there than he was at his own flat. Luckily, Gretchen was still too young to ask too many awkward questions about Damon's and her mother's "sleepover parties."

Damon rolled out of bed and pulled on the pair of jeans and T-shirt that he had discarded the night before. Moving swiftly through the dark flat, Damon slipped into Gretchen's bedroom. She was sitting up in bed, clutching her well-worn teddy bear to her chest. Tears were streaming down her face, and her breath was coming in short, sobbing gasps.

When she saw Damon come in, she opened her arms out to him for a hug. Damon's heart twisted with an emotion he couldn't quite identify, and for a second, he wondered if he should just leave now before things got even more confusing…

Instead, he crossed the distance between her door and her bed. Sitting down next to her, he pulled her into a hug. She clutched at his T-shirt, and her warm tears soaked it in seconds.

"Did you have another nightmare?" He asked softly.

She nodded, pulling back with a sniffle. She swiped the back of her hand across her eyes.

"Which scary monster was it this time?"

Gretchen sniffled again. "A vampire."

Damon blinked in shock, inexplicably feeling a surge of guilt for being the same thing that had scared Gretchen.

"Aren't you going to tell me they aren't real?" Gretchen said plaintively, since that was his usual response to her frequent, supernatural-based nightmares. "Just like all the other monsters?"

Damon cleared his throat, unable to bring himself to lie so blatantly to her. So, he said the only thing that he could. "I would _never_ let a vampire hurt you."

* * *

Damon was sitting on a kitchen chair, pulling on his shoes. Sophie walked into the kitchen, wearing her robe and with her hair wrapped in a towel. She leaned against the wall, crossed her arms, and watched Damon prepare to leave.

"It seems kind of silly."

Damon looked up and caught her eye. "What?"

"You staying over practically every night but keeping your own place."

Damon froze, his shoe half tied. Slowly he sat up straight, still staring at her.

"You should just move in."

Damon knew he should say no. It would mean having to actively lie to her when it was time to go out for blood. It would mean having to continue lying to her – to himself – that he _wasn't_ a murdering, selfish bastard.

Maybe he could do it…as long as he always remembered to keep it separate in his heart from what he felt for Katherine. He cared for Sophie; he could finally admit that to himself. But that didn't mean that he had to fall _in love_ with her. He couldn't fall in love with her, anyway. It wasn't possible. He loved Katherine, after all.

But he could _care_ for her. That was OK, wasn't it?

And there was nothing stopping him from loving Gretchen. Hell, if he was honest with himself, he already loved her, in part because she represented something he would never be able to have. When he was human, he hadn't thought that much about having a family. When he met Katherine, he convinced himself that he didn't need one; he only needed her. And that was still true. But there was something about Gretchen that made him feel like a hero instead of a monster, a …_father_ instead of a killer.

So…maybe he could do this. Just for a little while. Just until it was time to go back to his _real_ life, the life that he had put on hold the day that Katherine had been taken from him.

"OK."

* * *

Damon carried a box into the flat, pretending that he was struggling under its weight even though he could have easily carried it one handed. He and Sophie were moving his belongings into the flat. Gretchen was "helping," which meant that she was underfoot and chattering constantly about how exciting it was that Damon was moving in.

Damon dropped the box onto the floor. He glanced around, making sure neither Sophie nor Gretchen were nearby. He crouched down, opened the box, and pulled out the blood bag he had stashed in there. He wrapped the bag in a shirt, put it in the bottom of one of the drawers that Sophie had cleared for him, and then dumped socks and T-shirts on top of it. Not being in a refrigerator, the blood wouldn't be fresh for long, but he wanted to have it on hand just in case. He would have to figure out a different solution soon, though…

He turned around at the sound of Sophie's and Gretchen's voices. Sophie walked into the flat carrying a box, and Gretchen was at her side, her hands pressed up against the side of it, convinced that her mother needed her help lifting it.

"This is the last one," Sophie announced.

Damon smiled. "Well, then. I guess you can't get rid of me now."

Sophie set the box down, walked over and kissed him. "Good thing I like you."

"I guess you two aren't that bad either."

Sophie mock-glared at him and dug her elbow into his ribs playfully. Damon twisted away with a laugh.

Damon couldn't quite believe this was happening. He wondered what Stefan would think if he saw this. He would probably spout off something self-righteous, conveniently forgetting about all the things he had done during his Ripper phase. Stefan would be convinced that Damon had some ulterior, nefarious motive for weaseling his way into this little family's life. He would never consider for a moment that Damon actually cared for them.

It was at that moment that Damon decided he would never, ever tell Stefan about them.

Not that he and Stefan were going to be doing any brotherly bonding any time soon…

"Come on, Mommy! Let's go get some lunch!" Sophie piped up, pulling on her mother's hand and trying to lead her toward the door. Damon had said he would take them out for lunch after moving in, and Gretchen had been looking forward to it ever since. Sophie laughed, following Gretchen out into the hallway.

They were out of sight in a moment, leaving Damon behind in the empty flat. He looked around once more, wondering yet again if he knew what he was getting himself into.

"Come on, Daddy!" Gretchen called from the hallway.

Damon stared dumbfounded at the doorway for a moment, a slow smile blossoming on his lips.

Who needed brotherly bonding when you had a daughter?


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Blood Relatives 4/12  
**Author: **EdieZee  
**Rating: **PG-13 ish  
**Based on:** TV series  
**Relationships:** Damon/Elena  
**Disclaimers:** I do not own anything. Sadly...  
**Summary: **What if Stefan wasn't the only "family" that Damon had?

_London 1970_

Damon stared out the car window, waiting patiently for Gretchen's school to let out for the day. Squinting against the sun, he thought not for the first time that his life had become really surreal these last four years. For most people, four years would have been more than enough time for something to become routine, but since four years was a mere drop in the bucket for him, he still found it unnatural to be living such a … _domestic_ life.

He constantly told himself that he should leave, that he should go back to his nomadic, vampiric ways. He wasn't this guy, and he never would be this guy. In fact, he normally would kill this kind of guy just to put him out of his misery…

_Stefan_ was this guy.

Yet, every time he told himself to leave, something would happen to make him stay. And it was usually something Gretchen did.

A smile rose unbidden to his lips at the mere thought of the girl. She was why he stayed. Yes, he cared for Sophie, but he still wouldn't let himself truly love her, out of respect for his love for Katherine.

But Gretchen…

Sometimes he wondered if he only loved Gretchen because she so clearly and deeply loved him. Somehow he had become her hero, and that was a sensation he hadn't experienced since Stefan was little enough to still adore his older brother.

And the fact that that mattered so much to him disgusted him in a way; he didn't recognize himself any more.

Yet, he still wasn't ready to give it up just yet.

There would be plenty of time in the years to come to go back to being the selfish, hedonistic vampire that relished in blood and sex and Katherine. No one he knew from his old life was even aware of where he was living right now. There was nothing stopping him from holding onto it for just a little bit longer.

Even though he knew it wouldn't last.

Even though he knew he shouldn't want it.

Even though he knew he didn't deserve it.

The car door opened, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Hi Dad," Gretchen said matter-of-factly. It was normal for her now and she didn't think anything of it, but it still shocked Damon every time he heard her say it.

"How was school, Gretch?"

"Good," she said noncommittally, staring out the window. Just by looking at her, Damon knew something was the matter. Normally, when he picked her up, she chattered nonstop about her day.

"Something wrong?"

Gretchen shook her head, avoiding looking at him. "Just thinking about something Betsy said today at lunch."

Damon clenched his teeth. _Betsy_. That girl was as stuck up and judgmental as some of the Southern belles he knew in his day. It was all he could do to keep himself from revealing what he was to her, just to scare her and get revenge for the way she treated Gretchen.

"What'd she say?"

Gretchen finally looked at him, scrunching up her face in a way that Damon had grown to realize meant that she was afraid to ask something, even though she really wanted to know the answer.

"She asked me why my mom and dad weren't married like everyone else's."

Damon grimaced, directing his attention back to the road to buy some time. He obviously couldn't tell her the real answer: that he had compelled Sophie – the one and only time he had ever done so – to not care about marriage.

"You know it doesn't mean we love you any less, right?"

"I know…" Gretchen said. She hesitated for a second. "But does it mean you don't love mom?"

Damon sat silently for a long time.

He loved Katherine. He wouldn't know who he was if that one simple statement wasn't true. He _loved _Katherine. He had to love her, or what was the point of all this waiting? Of this enmity with Stefan? Loving Katherine was the only thing that would make all of this worth it.

Sophie was solidly _there_. She was good and kind and smart and funny. There was nothing he enjoyed more than sitting in between her and Gretchen on the couch at night. He found it difficult to sleep without her in his arms.

But she didn't make him burn and pine and soar like Katherine did. Wasn't that what love was…?

So clearly he must not love Sophie… But he couldn't tell Gretchen that.

"Sure, I love your mom," Damon said, forcing away the thought that those words came out a little too easily to be a lie.

* * *

Damon and Gretchen sat on the living room couch that evening, working on her history homework. Sophie and Gretchen were always so impressed when Damon rattled off facts about what she was learning in class as if he was a walking textbook. Trying to stump him on something had become a game of sorts, but so far Damon always won.

Sophie walked into the room, shrugging on her coat. "I'm running out. Do you need anything?"

_Type B positive wouldn't hurt… _"No, I'm good."

"Alright. See you two soon."

"Bye, mom."

Sophie walked out the door. Slowly, Gretchen and Damon turned to look at each other, a conspiratorial smile growing on both of their faces. Throwing the textbook and notebook on the coffee table, they almost tripped over each other's feet running into the kitchen.

"Do you think she has any idea, Dad?" Damon smiled at the sound of Gretchen's breathless laughter.

"I doubt it, since we came up with the idea in the car this afternoon…"

"I know! But she always can tell when I'm hiding something."

Damon crouched down and pulled a pan out of the cupboard below the sink. Sophie had been dealing with a frustrating co-worker lately, and Gretchen had suggested making her favorite dessert, brownies.

Somehow, Damon suspected that suggestion was partly because brownies were _Gretchen's _favorite dessert too…

"Can you grab the mixer, Gretchen?"

"Sure," Gretchen said, grabbing a chair and dragging it over to the other side of the kitchen. She climbed on top of it, and then from there, kneeled on the kitchen counter so she could reach the top shelf of the cupboard. Damon, meanwhile, began gathering the rest of the ingredients.

His back was to her, which was the only reason he didn't react in time when she yelped in shock. Even with his vampire speed, he couldn't catch her. She fell to the floor, and the contents of the cupboard fell on top of her.

"Gretchen!" He shouted, kneeling at her side before reeling backward at the smell and sight of her blood. It had been too long since he had drunk, and a sickening temptation washed over him. Shaking himself out of it, he moved back to her side. His stomach twisted when he saw that her eyes were closed.

In all of his years, he honestly couldn't remember a time when he had felt this way. He was practically shaking as he searched for a sign that she was okay. He forced himself to calm down; he closed his eyes for a moment, letting the rest of his senses take over. Maybe if he didn't _see_ her unconscious and hurt, it wouldn't affect him as much…

Damon's ears caught her faint heartbeat, which was weakening as more and more blood pooled out of her head wound. With no hesitation, Damon bit into his wrist and pressed it against her mouth.

"Please, please, please," he murmured quietly to himself, willing her to drink faster. When she had swallowed a few times, he lifted her up into his arms to check her head. Relief washed over him when he saw that her wound was healing. He held her close, breathing in deeply as he listened to the sound of her heartbeat gaining strength.

Damon pressed a quick kiss to Gretchen's forehead, laid her back down gently, and then used his vampire speed to grab towels and mop the blood off the floor. That wasn't something he wanted to explain when Gretchen came back to her senses. By the time she opened her eyes with a groan, the floor was spotless and he had cleaned the blood out of her hair as well. He held an ice pack to the back of her forehead and hoped that she wouldn't think too hard about why her hair was wet.

"Dad?" She mumbled groggily.

"Are you feeling OK?"

"My head hurts."

"You bumped it pretty good when you fell," Damon said as he helped her slowly to her feet. "You better go sit on the couch and rest. I'll finish up the brownies, alright?"

"OK…" Gretchen walked slowly out to the living room. She added in a confused voice, "I'm starting to feel better though..."

The second she was out of view, Damon slumped onto one of the kitchen stools, holding his head in his hands.

He had almost lost her.

Obviously, he had seen people die before. Usually because of _his_ actions.

The thought of Gretchen dying, though… He couldn't handle that. That thought shouldn't even be allowed to _exist_. Damon inhaled shakily, rubbing a hand over his eyes.

He was too close. Life was easier before. He should never have let it go on this long. It was definitely time to leave, before he had to actually deal with losing her – with losing them.

Damon had fully succeeded in convincing himself that he would leave that very night without even saying goodbye. At that moment, he felt small arms snake around his stomach and hug him close. Gretchen rested her cheek against his back.

"Thanks, Dad. I love you."

_Well, maybe it won't hurt to stick around a little longer…_


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** Blood Relatives 5/12  
**Author: **EdieZee  
**Rating: **PG-13 ish  
**Based on:** TV series  
**Relationships:** Damon/Elena  
**Disclaimers:** I do not own anything. Sadly...  
**Summary: **What if Stefan wasn't the only "family" that Damon had?

_London 1975_

"You just don't _understand_!" Gretchen shouted dramatically, slamming her door shut to emphasize her point.

Damon and Sophie shared a part-amused, part-exasperated look. "What happened to my little girl?" asked Sophie, resting her head against Damon's shoulder.

"Puberty."

"Ugh. Don't remind me," Sophie said with a chuckle. "It makes me feel so old."

"Well, you still look as beautiful as the day you tried to have your way with me."

Sophie pulled her head back to give Damon a _look_. "Thanks for lying. _You_ on the other hand…It's just not fair that men usually age so much better than women. I swear, it's like you haven't aged a day."

Damon averted his eyes and swallowed heavily. This wasn't the first time she had raised the topic of Damon's unusually youthful appearance after almost 10 years of being together. Damon knew that he was dancing with danger. Pretty soon, he would have to leave; he couldn't put it off any longer. For the first couple of years, the thought of leaving was difficult; now, though, it was excruciatingly painful to even contemplate. Somewhere along the way, what he had considered a temporary break from his real life had actually _become_ his reality.

In fact, days would go by where he didn't even think about Katherine. Or Stefan. Or Mystic Falls. When he did remember to think about Katherine, he would feel horribly guilty, but eventually the guilt would fade and it would be another couple days until he remembered again.

So, yes, any day now he had to leave.

Any day now…

* * *

Later that evening, Sophie curled up in bed with a book – Damon smiled when he saw that it was _Gone with the Wind. _Again.

Wandering down the hallway, he hesitated in front of Gretchen's door, then knocked softly on it.

"What?" A surly voice responded, and Damon couldn't stop himself from grinning. Sophie may be frustrated by Gretchen's teenage antics, but Damon secretly found them endearing.

Then again, even after 10 years, he still found everything about Gretchen endearing…

Opening the door, Damon stepped into the bedroom. Gretchen was sitting cross-legged on her bed, scribbling furiously in a diary. When she looked up and saw that it was Damon instead of Sophie, some of the tension left her body. She and Damon had always been able to talk to each other. He knew that he should feel guilty about the fact that she told him things that she wouldn't tell her mother, but he couldn't quite bring himself to do so.

"Why won't she let me go to the birthday party, Dad?" She asked, tossing the diary onto the mattress next to her.

Damon half-smiled, walked over and sat down on the bed next to her. "You know why. She doesn't know the girl's parents."

"So? Doesn't she trust me?"

"Of course, she does. You know that." Damon hesitated, the instincts he developed over the last couple decades telling him that something else was going on. "What's the real problem?"

Gretchen huffed, avoiding his eyes.

"Is Jack going to be there?"

Gretchen blushed, covering her face with her hands. "_Da-aaad!"_

Damon grinned. "I'll talk to your mom."

* * *

Damon walked briskly out of the hospital, hoisting the bag he was carrying into a better position over his shoulder. Inside were a couple blood bags he had compelled a pretty young lab technician into giving him. He had gotten fairly good at hiding his drinking over the years, but this time he had let it go too long. His hunger had a desperate edge to it, and he didn't know if he would be able to make it to the storage locker near the flat where he kept a stocked refrigerator.

He licked his lips, ignoring the empty, gnawing feeling in his stomach. In a kind of daze, he looked around him, and that's when he saw her.

_Katherine_…

No, it couldn't be her. Katherine was in the tomb. He must be imagining it. It was just the hunger.

He made his way to the storage locker, drank, and went home. But for the rest of the day, he couldn't shake the feeling that it _was_ her.

But…it couldn't be.

He was still lost in his thoughts later that evening, as he and Sophie walked to the pub down the street for dinner.

_Katherine…_ Was thinking that he saw her a sign of some kind? A reminder that this wasn't the life he should be living? He wondered what she would think, if she saw him like this. She'd probably call him weak. She'd ridicule him for living such a complacent, utterly normal life when she had offered him a life that was exciting and dangerous and special.

And he wasn't so sure that he would blame her.

"Hand over the wallet!" Damon was pulled back to his surroundings with a start. Three twenty-something men sauntered out of the alley next to them, the one in the lead brandishing a knife. Sophie gasped and grabbed Damon's arm. He stepped in between her and the men, easily letting the anger that he was feeling at his own weakness morph into anger at them.

"You don't want to do that."

The one with the knife shared a laugh with the thug to his left. "Don't be the hero, mate."

The guy ran at Damon, who vaguely heard Sophie scream behind him. But the scream sounded as if it was in a dream – or maybe in the dream world that he had been living in for the last 10 years. With a snarl, Damon grabbed the mugger's arm and twisted it up and around, forcing him to drop the knife.

In a split second, the other two men were on him as well. For the first time in a long time, Damon found himself in a true fight. The bloodlust and the adrenaline soared through him, and he fought with a savagery that had been suppressed for far too long.

He had been kidding himself all these years. This was who he was: a killer, not a father. A monster, not a man. If Sophie and Gretchen knew who he really was, they would never have let him anywhere near them. They would never love him for what he was. No one would.

Except Katherine. That's why he had to wait for her.

In a matter of seconds, the fight was over. The muggers hadn't stood a chance, after all. He stood over their unconscious bodies – he had at least managed to refrain from _killing_ them in front of Sophie. His hands were clenched tightly, and he was breathing heavily.

"_Damon…?_" Sophie's voice was shocked – and scared. A twinge of pain flashed through him at the thought that she was afraid of him. He pushed that pain away, telling himself that that was a good thing. This is what should happen.

And, truthfully, losing them now, like this, on his own terms…that was better than watching them age and die and slip away from him.

He turned around to look at Sophie, his vampire face still plastered on his features. Sophie jumped backward with a shout of pure fear.

"Oh my God! Damon!" She scrambled away from him. "What is wrong with your face? What's going on? I don't understand!"

"I'm a vampire," he said matter-of-factly, trying to ignore the faint hope that maybe…maybe she wouldn't care."

"What?!"

"I'm a vampire. A killer. I'm 135 years old."

He took another step closer to her, and she stumbled backward again, holding a hand up toward him. "Stay away from me!"

Damon stopped moving, hardening his heart against the pain her words caused. He was right; she would never accept him now that she knew. He stared at her for a moment, wishing he didn't have to see the fear on her face yet also trying to memorize that sight. Her expression – and knowing that Gretchen would have the same expression – would be what kept him strong as he finally walked away.

Swallowing heavily, Damon took one last look, then rushed away with his vampire speed. He longed to go to Gretchen, to say goodbye before she heard from her mother that he was a monster. But he couldn't do it; he couldn't say goodbye. Not to her.

He tried to tell himself that leaving took strength. But, truthfully, he had never before felt so weak.

And he had never before hated himself so much.

* * *

You had to know the angst was coming; being in fluffy land is just too unnatural for me…

Thanks for staying with the story. Sorry it's taking me longer to update this story than the last story!


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** Blood Relatives 6/12  
**Author: **EdieZee  
**Rating: **PG-13 ish  
**Based on:** TV series  
**Relationships:** Damon/Elena  
**Disclaimers:** I do not own anything. Sadly...  
**Summary: **What if Stefan wasn't the only "family" that Damon had?

I am SOOOOO sorry there was such a long gap between chapters. I had holiday stuff going on, and then I had some technical problems... Let's just say I'm posting from my Christmas present: a new computer.

* * *

_London 1980_

Damon moved silently through the shadows of the city, stalking the group of young women who were walking home, laughing and gossiping, oblivious to their surroundings. They walked briskly, their heels clacking on the pavement.

One of the women broke off from the group, shouting goodbye to her friends. Damon adjusted his course to continue trailing her. In a moment, it was just the two of them on the dark street. Now that she was alone, she was paying more attention to her surroundings, glancing around and walking faster than before.

Damon watched her climb the steps to her flat and waited until she was safely in the door. He smiled a little wistfully, not for the first time wishing he could follow Gretchen up those stairs and never leave again. He waited until he saw her bedroom light turn on, knowing he should slip back into the shadows and out of their lives again.

She had grown up so much in the last five years, which was even more noticeable because of the fact that he only saw her once or twice a year. It was excruciating being able to see her but not talk to her. Every single time he came to town to check on them, he promised himself it would be the last time. That he had to let them go.

But then he would come back. Just one more time.

Taking a deep breath, Damon turned to leave, berating himself for spending so much time worrying about and caring for people who were no longer in his life. He was a _vampire_. What's more, he was a vampire who was in love with another woman. He owed it to Katherine to take the life she had given him and do something more meaningful with it than pretend to be human.

He wondered if things would have been better if he had never met Gretchen and Sophie. If, for example, he had gone off with Stefan to Egypt instead of letting Lexi convince him that she knew his brother better than he did. Would his life have been better without the two of them in it?

Somehow he couldn't believe that, no matter how much it hurt to be without them now.

He was almost at the intersection, ready to leave for another couple months, when his vampire hearing caught the shriek of fear. He would have recognized that voice anywhere. Damon rushed back to the building and up the stairs. He crashed through the door, stumbling a little bit to avoid tripping over the broken wood. He slid to a stop at the sight in front of him: Sophie lying on the floor, one arm twisted sickeningly wrong underneath her and a pool of blood spreading out from the wound in her neck.

Not a wound…a bite.

A _vampire_ had done this…

He rushed to Sophie's side, knelt down and inspected her. She was still alive but fading fast. He accidentally bumped against her side; she groaned slightly and opened her eyes.

"Damon...?" If he hadn't had his vampire hearing, he probably wouldn't have even heard her say his name.

"It's OK, Sophie. Everything's going to be OK."

"Damon…Gretchen. Help Gretchen," Sophie said a little forcefully, struggling to lift a hand to ineffectually push him away from her. He hesitated for a moment, knowing that she didn't have much time. But it was _only_ for a moment because he knew as well as Sophie did that there was no way he would let anything happen to Gretchen. She was and always would be the first priority for both of them. Damon leaned down and softly kissed Sophie's forehead. That simple kiss would have to say everything that they didn't have time to say: goodbye, I'm sorry, I forgive you, … I love you.

Damon rushed into the kitchen, a surge of absolute fear flowing through him when he realized that Gretchen was in much the same condition as her mother was. Damon fell to his knees a few inches away from her, sliding to a stop at her side. The scene in front of him blurred with his memory of the last time he had saved Gretchen's life when she was bleeding on the kitchen floor. She was a young woman now, but in his mind's eye he still saw the little girl she had been.

Swallowing back the lump of fear in his throat, Damon tore at his wrist with his teeth and put his wrist against her mouth. This wasn't the first time he had used his blood to heal her, obviously, but something felt…_wrong_ this time. It felt different. He couldn't hear her heartbeat and he couldn't remember if he had seen her take a breath since he entered the kitchen.

It wasn't too late.

Was it?

Please, don't let it be too late

Please.

It couldn't be.

With a gasp, Gretchen opened her eyes and launched herself into a half-sitting position. She clutched at Damon's arm as she looked around with wild, shocked eyes. They finally landed on Damon, and recognition sparked.

"Dad?"

Damon's heart soared at the sound of that on her lips, having assumed he would never hear her say it again. He pulled her into his arms, and they rocked back and forth on the floor. Gretchen started crying, sobbing through her tears about how someone had attacked her mother. Gretchen had run into the kitchen to grab a knife, but that was the last thing she remembered.

"Who was it? Who attacked her?"

Gretchen pulled back from him, confusion filling her face. "I…I don't…_remember_."

Damon pressed his lips together, annoyed at the thought that whichever vampire it was had made it impossible for him to seek revenge. He would have to force himself to live with the fact that he couldn't get retribution, but knowing that Gretchen would be OK did make it slightly better.

"Dad," she said pulling him out of his thoughts. "Why do you look the same?"

Damon swallowed, trying to think of what to say. Her question settled something that he had wondered about for the last couple years: whether Sophie had ever told Gretchen the truth about him. On the one hand, he was happy that she hadn't because Gretchen never had to fear him. On the other, it made him wonder what Sophie had told her instead…

Before Damon could answer her question, Gretchen made a face. "Dad. I'm … _hungry_."

* * *

A short while later, Damon backed out of the kitchen, giving Gretchen a few moments of privacy to come to terms with the major revelations that, in one night, she had lost her mother, learned that vampires existed, learned that her father was one of them, and that she had become one too.

With a heavy heart, Damon sat on the couch and stared down at Sophie's body. He rubbed a hand over his eyes and released a shaky breath, unable to handle looking at her lifeless body. Damon slid off the couch to sit on the floor next to her, and he reached a hand out to move a strand of hair aside.

"I'm sorry, Sophie," he whispered in a raw, aching voice. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened. I thought…I thought I was _saving_ her."

Obviously, Damon had killed people before. He had drunk blood and compelled victims and destroyed lives. But he had never felt as guilty as he did at that moment. He was supposed to _protect_ Gretchen from the monsters of the world – not turn her into one! He truly had no idea what happened, but the only thing that he could think of that could possibly explain it was that she had died at the exact moment that she swallowed his blood…meaning she had died with his blood in her system.

So, instead of saving her, he had condemned her.

He had longed to have her in his life again, but _this_ was not how he had wanted that to happen.

With a sigh, Damon pulled himself back to his feet. He grabbed the flannel blanket that Sophie liked to keep in the living room to snuggle under during movies. Billowing it out, he let it fall softly to the ground, then rolled her body up in it. He didn't want Gretchen to have to see it like this.

She had enough to deal with right now.


	7. Chapter 7

**Title:** Blood Relatives 6/12  
**Author: **EdieZee  
**Rating: **PG-13 ish  
**Based on:** TV series  
**Relationships:** Damon/Elena  
**Disclaimers:** I do not own anything. Sadly...  
**Summary: **What if Stefan wasn't the only "family" that Damon had?

_New York 1976_

Damon opened the door of the apartment, careful to slip in without letting too much daylight in. Gretchen was curled up on the couch, watching television.

"Hi, Dad!"

"Hey. How did you sleep?"

"Eh," Gretchen said, shrugging her shoulders. "It's still strange to sleep during the day. You're so lucky to have that ring."

Damon felt a twinge of guilt, even though he had no way of rectifying that situation. Over the last couple months, he had been able to show Gretchen everything she needed to know about how to survive as a vampire. In the meantime, he had also been able to finally talk to her about everything he had to keep from her when she was growing up. Even though he hated the fact that she had to become a vampire for it to happen, he loved the fact that she finally knew the truth.

Well…most of the truth.

She still didn't know about _all_ of the stuff he had done, even though he admitted to having done some pretty horrible things in the past. She still didn't know about Katherine being locked up in a tomb waiting for him, even though he had told her about how Katherine had turned him.

Damon promised himself that he would tell her all of those things eventually, but for right now, he just wanted to enjoy the wonder in her eyes when she saw parts of the world she had never imagined she would see. He wanted to enjoy the delight on her face at the heightened senses and abilities that came along with being a vampire.

He wanted to enjoy having his daughter back…

Damon dropped on the couch next to Gretchen, grabbing a chip out of the bowl she was eating from. She playfully swatted at his hand in return, and they giggled like they used to when she was a child and he would steal from her plate. They fell into a companionable silence, paying attention to the television.

After a moment, Gretchen spoke again in a soft, hesitant voice. "Dad?"

"Yes?"

"Will you show me Mystic Falls?"

Damon didn't answer. He didn't know how to answer. The thought of his two worlds actually colliding was impossible to comprehend, yet he also knew that he couldn't say no to anything she asked. He had been wrapped around her little finger since day one.

It's not like anyone would be there to cause problems. Last he had heard through the grapevine, Lexi and Stefan were out west somewhere. He hadn't been back in almost a decade himself, and he had just been there long enough to let the current Salvatore resident know who that he was still boss around the boarding house.

But still… how could he be there –where such horrible things had happened – with _her. _She was the best thing in his life. He had to keep her safe from Mystic Falls, which somehow had the ability to destroy all good things that enter the town limits.

"Please?"

Damon swallowed. "OK. But only for a little while."

She squealed and threw her arms around him for a hug. Damon, however, couldn't shake the feeling that this decision was among the worst he had ever made in his life. Somehow, he knew that this wouldn't end well…

* * *

Damon parked in front of the boarding house, ignoring the fear bubbling up in his throat. Turning off the car, he turned to look at Gretchen, who was staring up at the house with a dropped jaw.

"You didn't tell me you were _rich_, Dad!"

Damon half-smiled, oddly excited to be showing Gretchen his past despite all the misgivings he had about bringing her to Mystic Falls. "You should have seen the original estate. This is nothing compared to that."

Gretchen unbuckled her seatbelt and opened her door. "How come you don't talk that much about when you were human? I mean, you've told me about Katherine and that you _have_ a brother who's also a vampire, but what about all the other stuff?"

"It's…." Damon avoided her eyes. "It's hard to remember."

That was a lie, and it was the first one he had told Gretchen since she had turned. His human days were more vivid in his memory than half of his vampire life. It wasn't that it was hard to remember; it was _difficult_ to remember.

"Well, maybe being back here will spark some memories!" She said it so easily, so nonchalantly. Damon winced as he got out of the car, in part because just being back here was already sparking memories – ones that he wanted to forget…

Damon walked around the car to stand next to Gretchen, who was staring up at the house. "I wish I could see it in the daylight," she said. "It must be even more beautiful."

Damon rubbed her back lightly and then started walking toward the house. "Wait here for a second, while I tell James that we're here. It'll come as a shock."

James was about 30 years old, the only living Salvatore the last Damon heard. He had been home on a visit from college the last time Damon was here, so at least it wouldn't be the first time they had met. His parents had died a few years after that, apparently. Damon was unsure of how to handle having James and Gretchen meet: he didn't want her to realize he basically terrorized the family whenever he came to town, but he also didn't really want to compel James into acting like everything was perfect. Threatening him certainly wouldn't help make James act naturally around him. He supposed the best chance was to just make a deal with James, and hope that would be enough.

Damon rang the doorbell, in an attempt to seem reasonable and courteous, unlike the last time when he barged right in and made himself at home.

The door opened, but it wasn't James on the other side. A young, very pregnant woman smiled welcomingly up at him. Damon did a double-take. "Uh. Hello."

"Hi. Can I help you?"

"Is…um, is James here?"

"Yes, please come in." She stepped aside to make room for him to step in. Damon smiled at the thought that he was being invited into the Salvatore house. Not that he needed the invitation, of course.

The library door opened and James stepped out into the main room. When he saw Damon, he nearly tripped over his own feet, and his face lost all its color.

"Damon?"

"Hello, James."

James swallowed heavily, looking back and forth between his wife and his many-times-great-uncle. "Sarah, this is…my, um, cousin."

"Oh!" Sarah looked confused and a little embarrassed. "I didn't know you had…"

"We haven't seen each other in a long time," James said quickly. "Do you mind if we're really rude and go in to the library to catch up for a moment?"

Sarah frowned, clearly confused. "OK. I'll just go and check on dinner. Damon, you're more than welcome to stay and eat with us."

Damon couldn't help but smirk at the look of utter panic on James' face at the thought of Damon _eating_ there. He hid it quickly, knowing that doing anything like that would not help him convince James to pretend he wasn't afraid of Damon. Following James into the library, Damon closed the door behind him.

"Damon, what are you doing here?"

"I have a favor to ask," Damon said, trying his hardest to not let his usual sarcastic tone creep into his voice. Despite that, James still looked wary, clearly having heard enough about Damon from his parents over the years to not trust his friendly attitude. "I have a…friend…here with me, and I would prefer her to not know about my…past."

James cleared his throat and crossed his arms. "Frankly, that wasn't what I was expecting to hear."

"I can understand that."

"Do I really have a choice in the matter?"

_No…_ "Sure. It's your house, after all."

"Really? Because the last time you were here, I distinctly remember you telling my parents that you just let us live here."

Damon grimaced. This wasn't going as well as he hoped. _Oh well, time for plan B_. "And if you do this for me, I'll continue to let you live here." He paused meaningfully. "You _and_ your wife and child."

James clenched his jaw. "Fine. I'll do whatever you want."

"That's what I thought."

Damon sighed as he walked out of the room, hoping that the threat wouldn't come back to hurt him. Maybe if he kept Gretchen away from James – give her endless tours of the town, for example – she wouldn't notice how afraid the man was.

Hearing laughter from the kitchen, Damon made his way there and was surprised to see Gretchen in there with Sarah. "Damon! You should have told me your friend was outside. It was lucky I went to check the mail and saw her."

Damon smiled at the woman, turning on his charm. "I didn't want to put you out. We did drop by unexpectedly, after all."

"Nonsense. This _is_ a boarding house, for goodness' sake. There are plenty of rooms. I'll just go find some extra sheets."

"Actually, Sarah," James said as he walked into the room. "Damon always uses the large room on the second floor when he comes to visit. He knows where things are."

"Oh, you're _that_ relative. James explained to me when we got married that the two rooms over in that wing were reserved for a couple family members who used to come visit when he was younger."

Damon smiled, catching James' eyes. "It's nice to know I'm always welcome."

* * *

Damon sat down on his bed, relishing in being around the old, familiar possessions. As hard as it was to be in Mystic Falls, it was also home, which was probably why he and Stefan were always drawn back to it no matter how hard they tried to stay away.

Setting his bag beside him, Damon pulled out the first item in it: the copy of _Gone with the Wind_ that he had bought from Sophie so long ago. Swallowing around an unexpected lump in his throat, Damon slowly placed the well-worn book on top of the pile of other books next to his bed. It would stay here now, only to be read again when he was ready to remember her pleasantly, not when he could only remember her gasping in pain and begging him to save Gretchen's life.

Damon cleared his throat and wandered down the hall into the bedroom that he had made up for Gretchen. It was a little too near Stefan's room for him to be comfortable, but he didn't want her to be too far from him either. He only hoped that she wouldn't go exploring and find Stefan's room…and the older journals that he kept in there.

He peeked his head in the room and saw that she was already asleep. Smiling softly, he watched her for a moment. On his way back to his own room, he hesitated for a moment outside Stefan's room then entered it quickly. It was dark, dusty. A part of him longed for Stefan to be there – to see if they could work on rebuilding their relationship. It had seemed so possible in New Orleans, but they hadn't even spoken since then. And that…hurt. Stefan could have contacted him. He could've asked what had stopped Damon from going with him to Egypt. The fact that Stefan hadn't tried to contact him made Damon wonder what Lexi had told him.

And it made him wonder why Stefan was so quick to believe whatever it was.

It made him wonder if Stefan and Lexi and James and everyone else was right. Was he truly that horrible? If so, when would Gretchen see it?

And what would happen when she did?

* * *

The first few days passed quickly, as Damon showed Gretchen around Mystic Falls. He was able to sidestep most of her more probing questions about his past, and fortunately, he and James had managed to make sure no one spent too much time together. Damon was beginning to think he could get through this visit with no major repercussions.

At the moment, though, he was standing near the ruins of the old estate, watching the sunset and letting his mind wander back to the old days. If he closed his eyes, he could imagine the plantation house was still standing, that Katherine was inside dressing for dinner, that Stefan wasn't suffering.

With a sigh, Damon started back toward the boarding house, pushing the memories back into the past where they belong. When he opened the front door, something seemed…wrong.

It was too quiet.

Damon fought down the nerves in his stomach and rushed up the stairs to Gretchen's room. It was empty, and now the fear was rising up in his throat. He didn't know why he was afraid; she was perfectly safe in the house. Not to mention, she was a vampire who had been trained in self-defense by her "father." But still, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Rushing through the house, he kept an eye out for anything out of place.

And then he figured out why.

Stefan's room…the door was cracked open. Swallowing heavily, he took a step forward, pushed the door completely open, and took in the sight of Gretchen sitting at Stefan's desk reading his journal. Damon's stomach dropped, and his mind started to race with possible explanations for whatever she read in there.

Gretchen looked up at him, a stricken expression on her face. Damon felt a murderous rage go through him as he imagined what Stefan had written about him. Stefan had no right to judge Damon for any of his actions, yet Damon had no doubt that his little brother took a perverse sort of pleasure in writing scathing reports about him. He opened his mouth to say something…anything…that would erase that expression from her face, but he couldn't think of a single word that would help. Her eyes exuded pain and betrayal, and it killed Damon to see that look in his daughter's eyes.

"How could you not tell me about any of this?" Gretchen held up the journal.

Damon wanted to make her understand, to let her finally see who he truly was – the good _and_ the bad. He knew she deserved it, and he knew that she loved him enough to give him the benefit of the doubt. If he explained, their relationship might even be better than it was now. She would truly know everything about him then. There would be no secrets between father and daughter.

But was that what was good for her?

Ever since she had come into his life, he had wanted to protect her.

Wasn't it time to protect her from him?

Damon cleared his throat, but he still couldn't think of anything to say. He turned and left the room, ignoring her as she shouted for him to come back and talk to her. Damon fled from the boarding house, and he wasn't surprised at all that, by the time he finally returned, she was no longer there.

* * *

I'm baaa-aack! So, so, so sorry about the delay on this. School work has sucked the life out of me… I will try to post more often again now. I tried to make this chapter fairly long as an apology.


	8. Chapter 8

**Title:** Blood Relatives 8/12  
**Author: **EdieZee  
**Rating: **PG-13 ish  
**Based on:** TV series  
**Relationships:** Damon/Elena  
**Disclaimers:** I do not own anything. Sadly...  
**Summary: **What if Stefan wasn't the only "family" that Damon had?

_Mystic Falls 2009_

Damon leaned one arm against the window and looked outside, but he didn't really register anything that he saw. He squinted against the sun beating down on him through the glass and seriously considered ripping off his ring.

It was over. One hundred and forty-five years, and it was over. He had failed Katherine. She was still stuck in that tomb, and he was still alone.

He had lived so long with that one goal and with the idea that getting her out would somehow make up for everything – for everyone – else that he had lost along the way. But now that was no longer an option, and he had no clue what he was supposed to do now. Where he was supposed to go.

Who he was supposed to love.

"So…any idea where you'll go?"

Damon had been so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't even noticed his brother walk into the room, but he wasn't surprised that Stefan's question echoed his own contemplations so well. He and Stefan thought more alike than Stefan would like to admit, after all.

"I don't know. London, maybe. See some friends."

The words were out of Damon's mouth before he even truly thought about them. It kind of made sense in a way, though – after having lost his chance at getting back one woman he loved, why not switch his efforts to getting back another woman he loved? He knew she was in London; he had used his contacts and threats to keep tabs on her ever since she had disappeared from his life the last time he was in Mystic Falls. Would she be willing to talk to him now? Or did she still think he was a monster?

"You don't have any friends, Damon." Stefan's words hurt Damon more than he wanted to admit, even if only to himself. The words were true, obviously – Stefan obviously wanted him gone, Katherine was lost forever, and he was kidding himself to think that Gretchen would ever let him into her life again.

He had no one.

Pain and anger and a little bit of self-loathing twisted in Damon's gut. "You're right, Stefan, I only have you, so…" Damon turned away from the window to walk toward his brother. "Where are we going?"

"_We_ are not going anywhere," Stefan responded. "I'm going to live my life as far away from you as possible."

Damon didn't know which was worse – having Stefan tell him to his face that he wasn't wanted, or having Gretchen disappear without a word. Even all these years later, the ache of having Gretchen gone from his life still burned deep within him, but he couldn't do anything about that. He could, however, take out all of his hurt on Stefan. If he had to suffer, then Stefan could deal with his acting out.

"But we are a team! We could travel the world together….we could try out for _The Amazing Race_!"

Damon couldn't help but think of the fact that he and Gretchen had traveled the world together – or at least part of it, and they were well on their way to seeing the rest of it when he had made the incredibly stupid mistake of giving in to her request to see Mystic Falls.

But, even as he regretted that choice every day, he couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't really a good thing in disguise. What would she have thought about him if she could see him now?

She would probably look at him with the same level of disgust and hatred that Stefan was looking at him with.

And he wouldn't have been able to handle that. In many ways, if he was being completely honest, that would have been a thousand times worse than losing Katherine. He had no idea what that meant – losing Katherine _should_ have been the worst thing he could possibly imagine, especially after waiting 145 years for her.

But, deep down, he had to admit to himself that it wasn't the worst thing. The worst thing was that Gretchen seemed less accessible in London than Katherine did in the tomb – and there was no amount of magic in the world that could help him with that.

* * *

_Mystic Falls 2012_

Damon played with the drink in his hand, longing to turn around to look where Elena was sitting with Bonnie. He just wanted to see her, to take in the sight of her like a balm to the ache he felt since turning down her attempt to be with him.

The temptation burned deep inside of him. If he let himself, he knew that he could easily believe that she truly did want him instead of Stefan. That she wouldn't eventually decide to leave him and go back to his brother.

And, even if she did eventually go back to Stefan, a part of him was trying to convince himself that that wasn't a huge deal. So what if she did? At least Damon would have been able to be with her for a little while. Wasn't a little bit better than nothing?

Damon clenched his teeth and then knocked back the rest of his drink, forcing those thoughts down. He didn't have much willpower, obviously, but he did have enough to resist this. No, he told himself, it was not better to have a little bit at least. He wanted everything. Maybe he didn't _deserve_ everything, but he wanted it.

He wanted love and acceptance and comfort and to be someone's first choice. He wanted a love that would be more than just love… he wanted a love that would be _family_.

He wondered if he would ever have that again.

Someone touched his shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts. He turned to face the intruder, and he couldn't believe his eyes.

Gretchen.

"Gretchen?" His voice sounded odd: Strangled. Shocked but happy. Confused and a little afraid that this was a dream. Hopeful but painfully aware that he had no reason to hope.

Before he could say anything else – and partly to confirm that she was really there – Damon stepped forward and pulled his daughter into an embrace.

* * *

Once again, I'm sorry. I feel like apologizing is all I'm doing with this fic! Never again will I start posting a story until I'm close to being done with it…

Fortunately, I am on Spring Break so I will try to get a couple chapters posted ASAP. This chapter was always intended to be short – it's meant to be a transition between the "old" Gretchen experiences and the "new" ones.


	9. Chapter 9

**Title:** Blood Relatives 9/12  
**Author: **EdieZee  
**Rating: **PG-13 ish  
**Based on:** TV series  
**Relationships:** Damon/Elena  
**Disclaimers:** I do not own anything. Sadly...  
**Summary: **What if Stefan wasn't the only "family" that Damon had?

Damon's natural talent was to be aware of Elena no matter what, so he knew that she left the Grill abruptly, but he couldn't bring himself to think about that too much. He was too busy thinking about Gretchen – why she was here, what was going to happen next, what he could say to her to make up for everything.

He still couldn't believe she was standing right in front of him…and she was smiling too. Whenever he allowed himself to think about seeing her again, he could never get past the assumption that she would still hate him. But there was no pain or betrayal or disgust in her eyes – just the joy and love and trust he remembered from all those years ago.

Could he be imagining this?

He reached out and touched her arm again, needing to reconfirm that she was actually there. He didn't let go; instead, he stood and escorted her quickly out of the Grill toward his car. Damon didn't want anyone from town to witness this reunion; it was among the most important moments of his life, and Damon didn't want it to be ruined by anyone.

Damon opened her car door for her and hurried to his own side. Sitting side by side in his car was so strange yet so familiar, and he had to fight against a lump in his throat. From the tears shimmering in her eyes, it was clear that it was an emotional moment for Gretchen too, and this time, she was the one who reached out for him. They sat in silence for a moment, holding each other's hand tightly.

He needed to hear her voice, but first he had to say something himself. "I have missed you so much. I'm so, so sorry; I should have told you everything."

Gretchen was shaking her head no before he even finished talking. "I'm sorry, too, Dad. I shouldn't have run off like that. I owed it to you to give you the benefit of the doubt."

"No, it was my fault. I…never wanted you to know how horrible I am."

"Was."

Damon cocked his head in confusion. "What?"

"How horrible you were, Dad. You're not that guy any more, I can tell."

"How can you say that? You don't know everything – these last couple decades…"

Gretchen gave him a look that he remembered all too well from her pre-teen years. "Dad, do you _really_ think you were the only one keeping tabs on the other one? I know what you've been up too."

Damon shook his head, unwilling to accept what she was saying even while he felt a surge of pride that she had learned enough from him to be able to watch him without his knowing it. "If you know what I've done, then how can you say I'm not that guy?"

Gretchen let out a heavy sigh and looked away for a moment. "I guess what I mean is that you were _never_ that guy – you were never the monster that you and Stefan thought you were. I mean, did you do bad things? Of course, you did. But you had reasons for most of them. I think that you think you were pretending to be someone else when you were with me and mom for all those years. But what _I _think is that the Damon I know is the _real_ Damon. It took me a little while to figure that out because I was so thrown by what your brother had written about you, but…well, I've wanted to come here for so long and tell you how sorry I am and how much I miss you."

She was crying by the end of her speech. Damon pulled her into an embrace, running a hand through her hair like he used to. He couldn't quite bring himself to believe in her opinion of him, but he wasn't going to disagree with her about it right now. Later on, when she realized she was wrong and left again, it would just about kill him. So, for now, he had to take what he could get.

When she had calmed down a little, Damon released her from his embrace and she sat straight again, wiping at her eyes and laughing a little in embarrassment.

"Sorry."

"Hey, you never have to apologize to me for anything," Damon said softly. "But…why didn't you come to me sooner, if you wanted to."

"I…I didn't know if you would want me to. My contacts told me that you were living with your brother, and that you seemed to be in a relationship with some dark-haired woman. I didn't know if you'd want some blast from the past messing up your life."

Damon scoffed a little – whoever her contacts were had managed to see what _seemed_ to be going on in his life but obviously misinterpreted what was _actually_ going on.

And eventually he would find out who her contacts were and make sure they understood that he was not the kind of person they could watch without repercussions… But that wasn't what was important right now.

"You are always welcome in my life, Gretchen. Always."

Gretchen smiled widely and squeezed his hand.

"So why now?"

The smile faded from Gretchen's lips and a twinge of fear grew in her eyes. "I…I need your help, Dad."

Damon's stomach twisted at the fear in her eyes, and his protective side threatened to overtake all other emotions. He tightened his hands into fists, ready to fight for her the moment she told him what he needed to do.

"What's wrong?" Damon was surprised at how calm his voice sounded, but a part of him realized that, just like when she was young, he was trying to protect her. He couldn't let her see how upset he was, as that would only increase her inner turmoil. She may not be his biological daughter, but he truly was her father and always would be, even if they did look as if they were close to the same age.

Gretchen launched into her story, explaining how she had been in Denver a while ago and had caught the eye of an older vampire. She told him that she wasn't interested, but he kept bothering her. Finally, he had disappeared for a little while, and she thought she was free, but he had showed up again a little later.

"I don't know what to do, Dad. He's too strong for me to take on. Luckily, he hasn't tried anything – I think he thinks he'll woo me over to him eventually, but I…I think he might be _insane_. He just seems so…cold. So nonchalant. And he won't take no for an answer."

Damon clenched his teeth the entire time she was telling the story. He would rip this guy limb from limb.

"What's his name?"

"Kol."

* * *

I had this planned out before Kol showed back up this season. I love his character with a fiery passion – he's my favorite of all the Originals. I am so upset that they killed him! Anyway, obviously this is set after "My Brother's Keeper" but before "After School Special," so it still makes sense timeline-wise to have him in this story.


	10. Chapter 10

**Title:** Blood Relatives 10/12  
**Author: **EdieZee  
**Rating: **PG-13 ish  
**Based on:** TV series  
**Relationships:** Damon/Elena  
**Disclaimers:** I do not own anything. Sadly...  
**Summary: **What if Stefan wasn't the only "family" that Damon had?

Stefan sat on the sofa, staring into the flickering fire and trying not to think about Elena and himself and Damon and everything else that was going on. Part of him really wanted to know what was happening – if anything – between Damon and Elena, and part of him really did _not_ want to know.

It _seemed_ like that they weren't together, and Stefan didn't understand why that would be the case, since he figured Damon would jump at the chance as soon as he found out that Elena had left Stefan for him.

A bitter, judgmental part of him would not have been surprised, though, if they weren't together. A part of him had always figured that Damon just thought he loved Elena because she was with Stefan and he couldn't have her. Once he found out that he could, that love probably dissipated immediately.

But, deep down, he knew his brother better than that – he knew that, in many ways, Damon loved Elena in a way that Stefan never could. So, if they weren't together, it was because of some reason that he hadn't thought of.

The front door opened, jarring him out of his thoughts. Speak of the devil…it was Damon.

And he wasn't alone.

* * *

If Damon hadn't been so upset and angry about Kol, he would have been greatly amused by the expression on Stefan's face at the sight of Gretchen. He knew that his brother was dying to know who she was, but they just didn't have time for him to answer the millions of questions Stefan would have if he knew who Gretchen really was.

Plus, he wasn't sure if he was ready to share that part of his life with anyone else. Gretchen and Sophie were a part of him in ways that were too personal, too precious, to risk having Stefan and the others ruin it in any way. He knew they would assume the worst about his motives for being a part of their lives, and Damon never wanted to even hear those assumptions uttered.

Yes, telling Stefan and Elena about Gretchen and Sophie might not be a horrible thing. Maybe it would force them to see him in a new light. But the slight possibility that that would happen wasn't worth the risk of losing the best part of his past.

Fortunately, right now he didn't have to make that decision – there was too much to worry about with Kol back in the picture. When it was all over, he'd decide then what to tell them about Gretchen. Until then, they would have to believe whatever they wanted to believe.

"This is Gretchen. Gretchen, this is Stefan." Damon went directly to the bar, pouring himself a drink in the vain hope that that would help him calm his anger and worry.

Stefan opened his mouth, clearly about to ask questions, when the front door opened again. Damon was glad to see that his text messages to the others had been received and responded to so quickly. Caroline walked in, giving Gretchen a confused look, Bonnie looked annoyed, and Elena wouldn't catch his eye – but there was nothing new about that lately.

Damon took a sip of his drink, then used the glass to gesture at Gretchen. "This is Gretchen, my…friend." Gretchen furrowed her brow in confusion at him, but he looked away, afraid that his face would give away to her how uncomfortable he was right now. He knew he could hide it from the others, but Gretchen had always been able to see through him. In his attempt to avoid her eyes, he ended up looking at Elena, and that was no better. She was still studiously not looking at him, and her lips were pursed together tightly.

She was jealous.

He hadn't even had time to think about why she had left the Grill so quickly, but now he understood.

She was _jealous_.

Damon bit back a smile, knowing that now was not the right time to be celebrating this realization, not when Kol was in the picture – not when his daughter needed him. But…

She was jealous.

Maybe he had been wrong. Maybe he could believe her that she loved him and wanted to be with him. Maybe he didn't have to worry about her deciding that Stefan really was and always would be the one for her.

Maybe.

But now was not the time.

Damon launched into an abbreviated version of Gretchen's story. The second he said Kol's name, everyone tensed up. They knew there wasn't much they could do tonight – or, really, at all since he was an Original, after all – but now that they knew, they could be on guard. They would be ready if he came to town, and perhaps they could at least try to do something about it.

Stefan stood and grabbed his coat. "I'll go talk to Klaus about it, at least."

Damon gritted his teeth, still not happy about the strange relationship his brother seemed to have with Klaus. Not a friendship, per se, but they seemed to get along in an odd kind of way that didn't sit too well with him.

The girls stood up to leave too, and now that the business was out of the way, Damon could focus on Elena. Now that the idea was in his head that this might actually work between the two of them, he longed to see further confirmation.

She didn't look at him at all as she left, but he did see her glance back at Gretchen.

The smile Damon bit back earlier in the evening now blossomed into a full-blown grin.

She was jealous.

* * *

The second the door closed behind Caroline, Bonnie and Elena, Gretchen turned to look at Damon with a twinkle in her eye.

"What was that all about, Dad?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Damon said, lowering himself onto the couch with a sigh and taking another sip of his drink.

"Reeealllly?" Gretchen teased, curling up next to him on the couch and resting her head on his shoulder. Instinctively, Damon put his arm around her, touched and a little amused that they so easily slipped back into their positions from when she was little.

"I think we have other things to worry about right now."

"Dad," Gretchen said softly. "You're here now. That means it's going to be OK."

Damon didn't say anything, awed by the simple confidence in her voice. He knew that she didn't know anything about Originals, but he decided right then that he would do whatever it took to keep her safe for the rest of both of their unnaturally long lives.

"So," she said after a moment of comfortable silence. "Are you going to tell me about her?"

"There's nothing to tell."

"Except for the fact that you're in love with her."

Damon scoffed. "How do you know?"

"Because," Gretchen said matter-of-factly, "that's how you used to look at mom."

Damon cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably, leading Gretchen to sigh loudly in frustration. She sat up straight and looked directly at him. "Dad, I read Stefan's journals. I know you were obsessed with that Katherine woman. And I know you – you probably had yourself convinced back then that you didn't _really_ love mom because you would have thought that was being disloyal to Katherine. But you _were_ in love with mom. It's possible to love multiple people, you know."

She flounced back against his shoulder and stared ahead into the fire. It was clear she had said what she was going to say, and that was an end to it. Damon sat quietly for a long time after that, mulling over what she had said. He found it slightly amusing that someone so much younger than him was finally able to make him realize some things that he had fought against so long.

It was possible to love many different people over the course of a life. He _had_ loved Sophie. He didn't have to deny it anymore – not to himself, not to anyone else. And he _loved_ Elena. More than he could ever explain to her, to Stefan, or even to himself.

In fact, the only person he hadn't ever truly loved…was Katherine.

That admission was the single most painful one he had ever had to make, even if it was only to himself. He had lived for so long, and had done so many terrible things, in her name – all because he was convinced he loved her. But that wasn't love. Love was supposed to give you strength, make you better, guide you down the right path. Love was good and positive and mutual. Love didn't require competition and deceit. Love was supposed to inspire you, not corrupt you. And that was _not_ what he had with Katherine.

But it _was_ what he had with Sophie and Gretchen.

And it's what he wanted to have so, so badly with Elena. The only question, now, was….would she still take him after he had tossed her offer aside?


	11. Chapter 11

**Title:** Blood Relatives 11/12  
**Author: **EdieZee  
**Rating: **PG-13 ish  
**Based on:** TV series  
**Relationships:** Damon/Elena  
**Disclaimers:** I do not own anything. Sadly...  
**Summary: **What if Stefan wasn't the only "family" that Damon had?

A/N: Oh my goodness. All the usual excuses and apologies apply. I'm so so so so so sorry. Real Life SUCKS; that's all I have to say about that. I absolutely hate when writers do what I did, but I hope you agree that late (incredibly, horribly late) is better than never…

* * *

Elena stood outside the door of the boarding house, trying to gather the courage to go inside. Ever since Gretchen had shown up the night before, Elena had been consumed with jealousy – but also with a spark of determination to fix everything that had gone wrong with Damon since the other night. It was as if this was what she finally needed to fight for Damon. She had been so hurt and confused when he had pushed her away and rejected her offer of love. She had never expected that to happen – not after everything they had been through and not after all the times Damon had tried to get her to be with him.

But she realized now that the only thing that had been truly hurt that night was her pride. After having some time to think about it, she realized that Damon had had every right to push her away. When had she ever done or said anything to make him believe that she was ready to take the leap of love with him? In fact, she had gone out of her way to say and do everything in her power to make him believe that she would never love him in the same way that he loved her. It was only natural for him to doubt her. It was entirely expected – and entirely what she deserved.

Now, though, it was time to put aside her wounded pride and deal with the fact that Damon hadn't fallen into her arms the second she wanted him to do so. He had waited for her, had fought for her. Now it was her turn to fight for him. Sure, this Gretchen might have had a prior claim to Damon's affections, but that didn't change the fact that she knew without a doubt that Damon loved her. It was time for Elena to do what she could to prove to him that she loved him. It may be too little, too late, but giving Gretchen a run for her money was the least she could do after everything Damon had done for her.

So, that spark of determination was there. She had been fanning that spark all morning, trying to build it into a blaze of courage that would carry her through whatever she would face inside the boarding house. But, now that she was actually here, the courage was waning, as she couldn't help but remember the way Damon had looked at Gretchen the night before – with a love and tenderness that she had never seen on his face before.

What if it _was_ too little, too late? What if all the times that she had spurned Damon had made it impossible for him to truly believe her? What if she couldn't convince him to put his heart on the line one more time for her?

Elena took another deep breath and knocked on the door before she could talk herself out of it.

* * *

Gretchen opened the door to her bedroom and stepped out into the hall at the same time that Stefan exited his room. He shot her a confused look before turning to look at the closed door of Damon's bedroom. Obviously he wasn't expecting Damon's "friend" to be in the guest bedroom, and Gretchen couldn't help but smirk in response to his expression. She knew what everyone thought, but she couldn't very well set the record straight when it was clear that Damon didn't want them to know – yet – who she really was.

She hoped it was just "yet" and not always. She didn't think she could keep up the ruse forever, and she didn't want him to do so either. Gretchen could see how much Damon was in love with that Elena girl, and more than anything, she wanted her Dad to be happy. She knew firsthand how deeply and completely Damon loved, and he deserved that in return. She wanted that for him, and she knew that her mom would've wanted that for him too.

Stefan cleared his throat, dragging Gretchen's attention back to her surroundings. "I hope you slept well."

Gretchen smiled and nodded, then started leading the way downstairs. "Yes, I've always slept well here."

Stefan raised his eyebrows in shock. "This isn't the first time you've been here?"

Gretchen shook her head. "No. Da-" She closed her mouth, catching herself just in time. "_Damon_ brought me here once a couple decades ago."

"How long have you known my brother?" Gretchen couldn't help but smile at how blatantly curious Stefan sounded. She had always gotten the impression that Stefan thought of himself as the older brother even though he was actually the younger – that he thought of himself as more responsible, more capable, in charge. She knew it must be odd for him to realize that there was something about Damon's life that he didn't know. Much like she had kept tabs on Damon and Damon had kept tabs on her, she was sure that Stefan had almost always known what his brother was up to ever since they had both turned. She respected the fact that Damon had been able to keep her and her mother a secret for so long, in the face of that.

"Oh….a little less than 50 years, now."

Stefan's eyebrows shot even farther up in surprise, but a knock at the door prevented him from indulging his curiosity with more questions. Gretchen sat down on the couch while Stefan veered off toward the door.

* * *

Elena entered the boardinghouse, awkwardly looking back and forth between Gretchen and Stefan. Only Damon's presence would make this moment more uncomfortable for her. She knew she should say something to explain why she was there, but her mind had gone blank as soon as the door had opened. She had been secretly hoping that it would be Damon who answered; he would look at her and know immediately everything that she felt. She wouldn't have to say anything. He would take her into his arms and kiss her. And everything would be _perfect_...

Instead he was nowhere to be seen and she was stuck in a room with her ex-boyfriend and a beautiful woman who had a secret past with the man she loved.

She couldn't stop her eyes from flitting to the stairway, wondering where Damon was.

"He's not here," Gretchen announced. Stefan shot her a confused look, and Gretchen cocked her head in response. "Didn't you hear him leave about 20 minutes ago? It was what woke me up actually."

"No, I didn't." Stefan's voice was monotone and he avoided looking at Elena. She felt a twinge of guilt still, knowing that he was still hurting at the thought that Elena loved his brother – that she had come there to see him that morning, instead of Stefan.

She pushed aside the guilt, knowing that there was nothing she could do about it anyway. She couldn't change the way she felt. Instead, she focused her attention on trying to figure out what exactly Gretchen meant by that comment. The way she phrased it seemed to imply that she had not been in the same bedroom as Damon, but that didn't make any sense…

"Well, you're welcome to wait until he comes back," Stefan said graciously, sitting down opposite Gretchen. Elena walked into the room slowly, perching uncomfortably on the cushion farthest from him. It was awkward sitting next to him, but that was preferable to sitting next to Gretchen instead. She finally got up the courage to look at the other woman and was disconcerted by the fact that Gretchen was openly staring back at her, a half-smile on her face.

* * *

Gretchen knew she shouldn't say anything. It was painfully obvious from the way Damon had introduced her that he didn't want the others to know who she was and the role she had played in Damon's life. She should respect that; it wasn't her place to tell.

But, she could argue that a daughter was supposed to annoy her father… And if he was that worried about it, he shouldn't have left her alone with Stefan…

Obviously she was just trying to justify doing what she wanted to do. She was self-aware enough to know that.

But she just wanted her dad to be happy…

She just hoped that he would forgive her eventually.

"So, do you two want to know who I am?"

Both Stefan and Elena leaned forward, but before she could tell her and Damon's secret, there was another knock on the door.

* * *

Damon couldn't quite believe it when Klaus had called him that morning to tell him that he was planning on seeing Kol that afternoon to talk about how to treat women. He invited Damon to be there too. Damon uncharacteristically refrained from commenting on the fact that Klaus had a few things to learn in that department too, given that he was all but terrorizing Caroline in the name of love.

"Why me? Stefan was the one who asked for your…assistance," Damon rolled out of bed and started pulling on clothes before Klaus could even answer

"Yes, but he said it was your friend that my brother was bothering," Klaus said.

"I'll be right there." Damon ended the call and slipped out of his room, glancing at the closed door of Gretchen's bedroom. He contemplated waking her up to tell her the news, but he didn't want to get her hopes up in case Klaus couldn't convince his brother to leave her alone.

He made it to Klaus' home in record time. Klaus nodded at him when he entered, then went back to his book. Damon was slightly annoyed by the fact that Klaus wasn't taking this more seriously. "So what's in this for you, anyway?" Damon asked.

Klaus sighed. "My brother has always been a little…overzealous when it comes to his relationships. And more often than not, that causes problems for _me_ too. I'm no longer interested in indulging his whims."

Damon was silent for a moment, trying to determine if there was anything more to it than what Klaus was divulging. Deciding to let it go for now, he walked further into the room and sat down across from Klaus. "So where is he?"

"He's in town actually. I told him to come here."

Damon's stomach dropped, fear squeezing his heart. "Why is he here?"

Klaus shrugged and answered without even looking up from his book. "My guess is he knows that your friend's here."

Damon shot out of his seat and was on his way back to the boarding house before Klaus had even finished the sentence. He rushed at full vampire speed but felt like he was moving agonizingly slow. He berated himself the entire time. He couldn't believe that he had left Gretchen alone, knowing that a vampire as _psychotic_ as Kol was after her.

He just hoped he wasn't too late...

* * *

When Stefan opened the door to reveal Kol, Gretchen shot to her feet with a gasp. She backed away from him, painfully aware that there was nowhere to run. She was vaguely aware of Elena standing next to her, and she couldn't help but feel a spark of respect for the girl. Gretchen could tell that Elena was not a fan of hers – and it didn't take a genius to figure out why – yet Elena didn't let that stop her from preparing to fight on Gretchen's behalf.

Kol caught her eye over Stefan's shoulder, and the dangerous gleam in his eyes belied the charm of his gracious smile. Stefan moved slightly to block his view of Gretchen, and she felt a surge of gratitude that he was also willing to stand up to the older vampire for a woman he barely knew. Damon had finally told her about Kol being an Original vampire late the night before, so she now knew exactly how dangerous he was. Before that conversation, she had felt slightly silly for running to her Dad for help, but after it, she felt completely justified. And, now that he was here, she wanted nothing more than for her Dad to show up and save the day. Even though logically she knew he didn't stand a chance against Kol, the little girl inside of her still wholly believed that her father could do anything.

Kol stepped over the threshold and sauntered into the room. He sidestepped Stefan without even looking at him, clearly dismissing him as a threat. "Gretchen, my love."

"Kol. I am not your love. When are you going to leave me alone?"

Kol smiled tightly, exhaling through his nose in a sort of wry chuckle. "You just have to get to know me. I'm not a bad guy," he said, opening his arms in an attempt at humility.

Elena laughed sharply, but didn't say anything. It was enough to draw Kol's attention away from Gretchen, and his expression turned menacing as he glared at Elena. Gretchen swallowed heavily, wracking her brain for a way out of this situation. She knew it was hopeless; if there had been a way to talk Kol out of his obsession with her, then they wouldn't have been in this situation in the first place. She thought ruefully of the day she first met him, when she actually thought he was the handsome, charming, worldly man he appeared to be. She had flirted with him, then, but a few hours in his company was enough for her to see beneath the surface. And now her mistake was going to cause problems for Damon and the others too.

It was time to put an end to this, somehow. She took a step forward, hoping that this time she could get through to him.

"Kol…" She took a deep breath, trying to think of something to say that would finally get through to him, but her mind was a blank. He turned his attention back to her, and his expression showed that he clearly knew what she was trying to say. The threatening glare he had directed at Elena was now firmly focused on her. He took another step toward her, and Gretchen steeled herself for a fight. She knew there was no way she could win against a virtually unkillable vampire, but better her than the others. They shouldn't pay for her drawing him here, after all.

And…Damon would need their support to deal with her death…

Before Kol could make another move, a blur of black crashed into him. Damon and Kol viciously attacked each other, knocking into furniture and slamming into the walls. It was impossible to tell from one moment to the next who was hitting whom. The snarls and the thuds filled the air, but they were moving too fast to jump in and lend Damon a hand. All they could do was wait and watch and be ready as soon as a chance presented itself.

Suddenly, Damon had Kol down on the ground, and he began to repeatedly punch him. "You…will…stay…away…from…my…daughter!" Kol squirmed underneath him, clearly trying to get out from under him and regain control of the fight, but Damon was relentless. Blood flew from his knuckles every time he pulled back for another punch, and after a while, it was clear that he was pummeling an unconscious man. Damon started to lose some of his steam, and finished his assault by grabbing a table leg, ripping it off the table, snapping it in half, and stabbing the jagged edge into Kol's chest.

"I'll take it from here," a drawling voice announced from the doorway, and Gretchen turned to see a man leaning against the open doorway. She knew it must be Klaus, one of the other Originals that Damon had told her about the night before. He caught her eye and bowed slightly. "My brother will not bother you again. You have my word." Klaus strolled into the room and hefted the body onto his shoulder. It was still hard for Gretchen to believe that the stake in his chest wasn't enough to get rid of Kol for good, but she decided not to question this turn of events too much. She prayed that the confidence with which Klaus had spoken was justified. Could it finally be over? It was too much to hope for…

Dragging her attention back to the others, she saw Damon on his knees still, breathing hard and avoiding the flabbergasted looks of his brother and Elena.

"Your….daughter?" Stefan finally spat out. "Do you mean…what do you mean?"

Damon stood, rubbing at the blood on his knuckles. "I mean, my daughter."

Elena looked back and forth between the two of them, brow furrowed in confusion. "Do you mean you turned her?"

"Well…yes. But she's also my _daughter_."

* * *

*** I THINK any vampire can enter the Salvatore house now, right? I can't remember exactly….hopefully I didn't make an error…


	12. Chapter 12

**Title:** Blood Relatives 12/12  
**Author: **EdieZee  
**Rating: **PG-13 ish  
**Based on:** TV series  
**Relationships:** Damon/Elena  
**Disclaimers:** I do not own anything. Sadly...  
**Summary: **What if Stefan wasn't the only "family" that Damon had?

Stefan, Damon, Elena and Gretchen sat down, for the moment ignoring the destruction around them that the fight with Kol had caused. Now that the word "daughter" had come out of Damon's lips, he seemed at a loss for how to explain what he meant. Stefan and Elena were looking at him expectantly, but Damon remained silent. Gretchen took a deep breath, realizing that it was up to her to start the conversation.

"Damon met my mother in London in 1966, when I was just a little girl. He…well, he raised me. The best dad a girl could ask for."

Damon smiled slightly, clearly touched to hear those words come out of her mouth. It was enough to get him to open up, and he launched into the story from the beginning. Gretchen leaned back and watched Stefan and Elena's reaction. It was easy to do so, as they were both focused intently on Damon. She couldn't help but smile at the dumbfounded look on Stefan's face. She knew that they were in a better place now – more brotherly than they had ever been, but she hoped that this would help Stefan see Damon in a new light. She wanted him to see the Damon that she knew, to realize that he had been underestimating his brother all these years.

She wanted Elena to see that Damon too. She knew her dad was in love with her, and she could tell that Elena obviously returned the feelings. But they were clearly not together despite those feelings. She didn't know why they weren't together, but maybe once Elena found out about Damon's great capacity for love, they would be…

Damon finished the Cliff's Notes version of the story, leaving out the fact that Gretchen had all but abandoned him the last time they were in Mystic Falls. She was glad that he hadn't told them about their falling out, as that was something that she was ashamed of. She still regretted not giving Damon the benefit of the doubt. She regretted all the years wasted, when they could have been completely in each other's lives instead of just keeping tabs on each other from afar. She knew she had a lot to make up for, and the one good thing from this experience with Kol was now she had the chance to do so. Perhaps she had just been looking for an excuse to come see him when Kol came into the picture, but whatever the reason, she was glad she had done so. She never wanted to be apart from Damon for very long ever again.

But, given the way that Elena was staring at him, she knew that _now_ was definitely a good time to give him some space. She stood, asking Stefan if he had any blood. Stefan looked at her, then at Elena. He saw her staring at his brother and a wisp of sadness flitted over his face. He smiled, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. Standing quickly, he led the way out of the room. Gretchen moved to follow him and, once she was behind Elena's back, she turned quickly and caught her Dad's eye. Pointing animatedly at Elena, she mouthed "Talk to her!" and scampered off after Stefan.

Damon couldn't help but chuckle at his daughter's antics. Elena turned to look behind her, but Gretchen and Stefan were already out of sight by that point. She turned back to Damon, a slight look of confusion on her face, but that quickly morphed into a steely look of determination. She cleared her throat, sat a little straighter, and caught Damon's eye. His chuckle faded and they looked at each other in silence for a moment, an atmosphere of seriousness falling over them.

"Look, Elena," Damon finally said. "I'm sorry I never told you about Gretchen…"

"It's OK. I understand." Elena took a deep breath and let it out. "It's weird to hear about you being in love with someone other than Katherine though."

Damon half-smiled, dropping his eyes. "Well, at the time, I didn't believe that I was in love with her. I wouldn't let myself admit it. It felt like I was…being disloyal. But I realized something the other day."

He hesitated, unsure if bringing this up was a smart thing to do. The fear that Elena would someday leave him to return to Stefan was still there, and he knew that this conversation could come back to embarrass him someday. But he had to say it. He had to say it to Elena to make up for the fact that he had never said it to Sophie…

"I did love Sophie. Very, very much. I was so convinced that I loved Katherine, that I couldn't bring myself to realize that I had real love with the two of them. If I had been able to admit that to myself back then, things would have been different."

Elena smiled softly. "Well, then, as much as I hate Katherine, I'm glad you didn't admit it to yourself."

Damon raised an eyebrow, not wanting to read too much into that statement and fighting against the hope rising in his chest. He didn't say anything, assuming that she would continue and explain herself without any prodding from him.

Elena blushed, dropping her gaze. Some of the determination had left her, but now that she had started speaking, she wouldn't let herself stop. "It's selfish of me – especially since Katherine has caused so much trouble. But…if you had realized back then that you didn't love her, then you wouldn't have come back here to free her from the tomb." Elena looked up again, catching Damon's eyes with her own. There was a glint in them that tugged at Damon's heart, and his breath caught in his throat. "And you and I would never have met."

Damon cleared his throat. "With how angry you've been at me lately, I would think you would be OK with the idea of never having met me."

Elena smiled, shaking her head. "I've been angry, yes. I've been hurt too. But if it was a choice between that or never knowing you, I'd take the anger and pain any day."

Damon let out the breath he had been holding. "Elena…"

Mistaking his comment for the start of another rejection, Elena jumped in. "Look, Damon, I know you have every right to not want to be with me. I've treated you so unfairly. I've never given you a reason to trust that I wanted you. But…I do. More than anything. I love you so much. Please…please just give me a chance to prove it to you."

A smile blossomed on Damon's face. Yes, the fear was still there, just as it was the night that he had first rejected Elena's offer of love. But he had Gretchen to thank for the fact that the fear wasn't overpowering him anymore. Her reappearance in his life had reminded him what real love was. She had reminded him that it was important to take chances in life and in love, and that he couldn't count on the fact that the people he loved would always be around. More importantly, she had reminded him that there were people in his past who had loved _him_. It was easier to accept the fact that maybe, just maybe, Elena did love him back – that he _was_ lovable. Katherine and Stefan and Lexi – and even the old Elena – had driven it in to his head for so long that he wasn't loveable, that he wasn't as good as Stefan. He had begun to believe it himself. But Gretchen didn't believe it. Gretchen loved him unconditionally.

Maybe, just maybe, the new Elena felt the same way…

The smile on his face seemed to be enough encouragement for Elena, as she stood and moved to kneel in front of him. "Damon, I love you," she whispered.

Damon reached down and pulled her up into the kiss he should have given her the other night.

* * *

That night, Damon strolled through the grounds with Gretchen at his side. His heart was bursting as he thought about the fact that Elena was now his, that Gretchen was safe, and that his relationship with Stefan didn't seem to be ruined.

Father and daughter walked in companionable silence, but when they turned back to head toward the house, Gretchen threaded her hand through his arm. He turned toward her, knowing instinctively that there was something on her mind.

"I love the fact that you and I are OK again, Dad, but…I can't stay. I want to be a part of your life again, but I have my own life too."

Damon cleared his throat and looked down at the ground. He wasn't surprised by this, and it made sense, but it still hurt to know that she was leaving again now that he finally had her back.

"But we'll talk now…and visit too. You're probably going to get sick of me pretty soon," Gretchen joked, trying to bring a smile back to her Dad's face. When he chuckled in response, she smiled and rested her head against his shoulder.

"Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome. In fact, it was my pleasure to beat up that cocky piece of -"

"I'm not just talking about Kol, Dad," Gretchen interrupted. She stopped walking and moved to stare him straight in the eye. "Thanks for _everything_. I meant it earlier. You're the best father a girl could ever have."

Damon smiled, reaching up to brush a strand of hair away from Gretchen's face. "It's easy with a daughter like you."

They resumed walking back to the house. As they walked, Damon thought back to the time he had lived in Mystic Falls as a human. Back then, he had been so adamant about getting away from his father that he was sure he didn't want or need a family of his own. But now, with Stefan and Elena waiting for them at the boarding house and Gretchen at his side, he realized that having a family really was the life he'd always wanted.


End file.
